Man stabs bulldog when it attacks his dog
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Anchorage Animal Control is investigating an incident involving a man who repeatedly stabbed an American bulldog to stop it from attacking his dog.

Tourism drop sparks layoffs at Goldbelt
JUNEAU (AP) -- Goldbelt Inc. will lay off 40 employees including nearly half of its executive staff following a drop in tourism income, company officials said Wednesday.

Study: Alaska is most improved state on healthiness meter
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Alaska has shown the most improvement in healthiness among the 50 states. According to the United Health Foundation, a private organization, Alaska ranks in the middle for healthiness but has jumped more than 20 places in the past 12 years, from 45th place to 25th.

Three pesticides illegal in Alaska
PALMER (AP) -- Three pesticides are now illegal to sell in Alaska because of concerns over possible impacts on groundwater, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Maybe next year for Safeco Field
SEATTLE -- One Seattle Mariners fan was so desperate to extend the season another day he called the team to ask if he could come to Safeco Field just to sit in his seat for a while.

Arizona in a New York state of mind
PHOENIX -- Arizona manager Bob Brenly, known for playing hunches and going against the book, is at it again as he prepares to lead the Diamondbacks into the World Series.

Study: Alaska is most improved state on healthiness meter
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Alaska has shown the most improvement in healthiness among the 50 states. According to the United Health Foundation, a private organization, Alaska ranks in the middle for healthiness but has jumped more than 20 places in the past 12 years, from 45th place to 25th.

Racing turnout suffers
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Billboards throughout the south side of Atlanta many within earshot of the Atlanta Motor Speedway have promoted the races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the past two months.

NASCAR garage getting too busy for many
Walking at a brisk pace, Dale Earnhardt Jr. artfully maneuvers his way through a thick crowd of fans waving merchandise to be autographed and begging him to pose for pictures.

NASCAR publicly addresses need for change
Drivers crash during "Happy Hour" before Saturday's EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR says it will make changes at the Alabama track and at Daytona International Speedway to increase competition and protect drivers.

Warplanes pound targets
WASHINGTON -- Taliban forces in Afghanistan may be hiding in residential areas to shield themselves from airstrikes, a senior military officer said Tuesday as the Pentagon acknowledged that an errant 1,000-pound bomb damaged an Afghan senior citizens' center.

Soldotna seeking cemetery
The desire to keep deceased loved ones close to home is behind the latest drive by the Soldotna Historical Society to build a cemetery in or near Soldotna.

Tree hugger
A witch has her flight cut short in the Close family's front yard in Kenai.

Mail safety takes focus
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration struggled Wednes-day to make the nation's vast postal system and its 800,000 employees safe from anthrax. Surgeon General David Satcher bluntly admitted ''we were wrong'' not to respond more aggressively to tainted mail in the nation's capital.

Public health center to be dedicated Friday
With the completion of the Kenai Public Health building in July, central peninsula residents can receive state of Alaska Public Health Nurse services and Central Peninsula General Hospital outpatient services in one building, instead of having to go to three.

Frances Reilly
Kenai resident Frances Reilly, formerly Mrs. John Brown, died at her son's home in Anchorage Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2001. She was 64.

Many contribute to winning season for SoHi football team
The Soldotna High School football team would like to thank all of the people who helped make our NLC championship season possible. A special thanks to parents Angela and Billy Jo Goracke, Patty Brantley, Janet Gleason, Annette Weigle, Sandra Ghormley and all the other parents who helped with gate, chain gang, team snacks and concessions.

Islamic holy month adds new urgency to U.S. effort in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Muslim allies, whose support is considered essential to the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign, are pressuring the United States to score a major victory on the ground before the Islamic holy month Ramadan begins around Nov. 17 or agree to a lengthy delay in the Afghan operation.

Letters to the Editor
Kenai's comprehensive plan too important to leave to a fewHospital top heavy on management; it should be run through boroughHere's hoping Afghanistan will see U.S. troops in honorable light

U.S. should be wary of confusing signals
Dreadful shock waves have been reverberating out of control since the terrorists struck at the heart of Washington and New York, severely disrupting every aspect of human life and activity, not only all over the U.S., but worldwide. People have since been overtaken by paralyzing uncertainty, fear, total loss of direction and purpose.

Hunter continues squirrel hunting habit
WINONA, Minn. (AP) -- Some call them tree rats. Others either attract them to their yard, or drive them away from their bird feeders. Some, like Doug Beeman of Goodview, hunt and eat them as a fall tradition.

Women found freedom amid Yellowstone's wilds
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The formally clad women who peer out from 19th century photographs of Yellowstone appear out of place in the wilderness surroundings. But even though these visitors look as if they should be in a drawing room sipping afternoon tea, they were trailblazers, nonetheless.

Around the Peninsula
United Way board to meetNorth Peninsula Chamber lunch held todaySchool board reapportionment committee meetsDivorce support group meeting slatedCIRCAC committee meeting scheduledSorority group to hold high teaLogo design contest announced

Pet of the Week
The Kenai Animal Shelter is featuring a young adult male Lhasa apso. Visit the shelter on Willow Street or call 283-7353 for more information.

Around the Peninsula
Chamber lunch to feature talk of transportationWRCC annual meeting this eveningGenealogist to speak ThursdayKenai planning session Saturday

Photo feature: Dog day afternoon
Edna Jones and her dog Misty take a walk with their shadows on the Cook Inlet beach Wednesday afternoon. Shadows continue to grow as the area loses about five minutes of daylight each day.

Parents should foster kids' curiosity, creativity
Do you remember those conversations you had with your children when they were constantly asking, "why?" They were full of questions. It was tempting at those times to ignore their questions or make up an answer just so they would quit being pests. Thank goodness they ask questions!

Sterling children get a 'Head Start' for school
Getting children off to the best start can profoundly influence the rest of their lives. That fact inspired the federal Head Start preschool program and, since the beginning of the calendar year, Sterling children have had an opportunity to take advantage of the successful program.

Friendships, relationships shape future paths
I will always remember the first two real friends I ever had. Tara, Jamie and I were an inseparable threesome of buds from the first day of kindergarten. Every afternoon we spent time building forts, playing dress-up or watching cartoons.

Sports Briefs
Rippley picked as crew chief of World SeriesOlympic gold medalist Drummond released on bailColangelo voted chair of NBA board of governorsFamily members to run for terrorist victimsSeahawks coach to Mariners: enjoy the journeySonics waive Rush